Fundraiser with scantily-clad women nixed after controversy

A promotional poster from the Boys Out Lunch held in Saskatoon December 2016. (saskatoonprogressclub.com)

After days of controversy and a returned donation, the Canadian Progress Club’s downtown Saskatoon chapter is ending its Boys Lunch Out fundraising event.

The club posted an update on their website Thursday, saying it was clear to them the fundraiser didn’t match the community’s “ethos,” and so they would discontinue it.

Boys Lunch Out generated criticism this week after it became known the event featured women wearing lingerie and G-strings dancing on raised stages, while men were encouraged to buy drinks and expensive meals at TCU Place.

St. Paul’s Hospital returned a $25,000 donation from the event on Wednesday, noting it didn’t match up with their Catholic values.

“The Progress Club Saskatoon Downtown recognizes The Boy’s Lunch Out has raised a mixed reaction in the community, with many people strongly against it,” the group wrote on its website.

“This recent attention has served to highlight that some events no longer have a place in today’s society.”

The self-described service club added it would be reviewing all fundraising practices going forward, to ensure they align with the “core values of both the charities we fondly support and, the community they serve.”